Tall, Dark & Wicked by Kathleen Ayers

Author:Kathleen Ayers [Ayers, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2020-01-05T18:30:00+00:00

13

The guests for Lady Pendleton’s house party had begun to arrive.

All of Brushbriar hummed with the footsteps of servants as they hurried to their duties. Each room was to have at least one vase of fresh flowers. Every bit of Blue John must be polished to a brilliant gleam. Intoxicating smells came from the kitchen as Cook prepared countless tarts, biscuits and other pastries with which to tempt the guests. The windows to the ballroom had been thrown open to air out the space, little used for many years.

Katherine, more militant than any general, marched about inspecting everything on her mother’s behalf. There weren’t enough roses in this vase. A smudge was found on one of the ballroom windows. More wine should be brought from the cellar.

Mother had taken breakfast in her chamber that morning, citing exhaustion. She’d been assisting Lady Pendleton in preparing the menus and discussing other diversions, besides dancing, for their guests. Unfortunately, Katherine’s fortune teller would not be coming to Brushbriar since she’d been run out of Castleton with accusations of fraud at her heels. Lady Pendleton decided on a room for cards to be played instead.

Petra wandered aimlessly about the house trying to find some way to amuse herself without being underfoot. One day, she could very well be in the thick of such preparations if she were to throw a house party, but becoming the mistress of Brushbriar became less a reality as each day went by.

The ride with Simon the previous day had left Petra with a hollow feeling, as if she were a piece of fruit whom an industrious member of the kitchen staff had scooped the pulp from. The void grew wider and deeper by the hour. The least rebellious part of her, the place where old Petra lived, whispered marriage to a brilliant man of Simon’s standing was what every young lady of her station hoped for. Mother and Father would be so pleased. The ton would flock to pay calls upon her. Invitations to sup at her table would be fought over. The most important and influential people in London would visit her home. Petra would become one of the most powerful women in the ton and indeed in all of London. She reminded herself of all those things but felt no reassurance. It didn’t help that her thoughts seemed to gravitate toward Morwick and the fact she would see him soon.

Agitated and at loose ends, she decided to see if Simon would walk with her or even play a game of chess.

Asking first the butler, a white-haired man with a superior attitude matched only by that of his employer, where she could find Lord Pendleton, Petra was directed to Simon’s study. Finding that room empty except for a maid busy cleaning the windows, she was told Lord Pendleton had gone to have tea with his mother in the family’s private sitting room.

As she strode down the hall in the direction the maid had indicated, Petra decided she didn’t care at all for the décor of Brushbriar.

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